13 (Blur album)
Encyclopedia
13 is the sixth album by English band Blur
, released in March 1999. The album reached number one in the UK Albums Chart
and number 80 in the US Billboard 200
. 13 spawned three hit singles: "Tender
", "Coffee & TV
" and "No Distance Left to Run
". The album has been certified Platinum in the UK.
past into more cerebral and denser musical territory. Some of the songs, however, are evocative of songs from their previous efforts, such as "Bugman", "Coffee & TV", "1992" and "Optigan 1". The album is in the style of a loose concept album, much like other Blur albums, in this case about life and relationships. Much of the album was inspired by Damon Albarn
's breakup with Elastica singer Justine Frischmann
. Two of the singles, "Tender" and "No Distance Left to Run", describe Albarn's love for Frischmann and his struggle to move on. It is named after the band's recording studio, as well as the number of tracks on the album (bar the hidden tracks). It is also is their first album without longtime producer Stephen Street
, rather with electronic producer William Orbit
. The cover is a portion of an oil painting by Graham Coxon
called Apprentice. The album's singles also have cover art by Coxon. The numbers 1 and 3 have been painted so they also form the letter 'B' - presumably for 'Blur'. This was not present on the original Apprentice, nor was the "shine" on the figure's head, which appears on 13. These additions were made long after the original Apprentice, which was painted in 1996. The band's logo doesn't appear anyway on the album aside from a sticker on the cover.
, the album holds an overall approval rating of 79%. The music video
for the hit single "Coffee & TV" cemented Blur's reputation as a cult band in the U.S. with its protagonist Milky. The video gained heavy airplay on many modern rock channels in America. 13 was also nominated to the 1999 Mercury Prize
award and has received accolades from music critics, which ranks it among the greatest albums of the 90s, according to Acclaimed Music. Some of these can be found below.
Many publications have sinced hailed the album as a "lost classic".
All music by Albarn / Coxon / James / Rowntree.
Japanese bonus track
There are five short untitled instrumental hidden tracks on the album. These can be found at the end of "Coffee & TV", "B.L.U.R.E.M.I.", "Battle", "Trailerpark" and "Caramel".
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
, released in March 1999. The album reached number one in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and number 80 in the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. 13 spawned three hit singles: "Tender
Tender (song)
"Tender" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. It is the first track on Blur's sixth album 13 and was also released as the lead single before the album's release...
", "Coffee & TV
Coffee & TV
"Coffee & TV" is a song by the British alternative rock band Blur. The verses are sung by the band's guitarist, Graham Coxon, who also wrote the lyrics. The music is credited to Damon Albarn, who also sings the chorus. The song appears on the band's sixth studio album, 13, released in 1999; and...
" and "No Distance Left to Run
No Distance Left to Run
"No Distance Left to Run" is a song by Blur. It is on their 1999 album 13 and was also released as the third and final single from the album, reaching #14 in the UK Singles Chart...
". The album has been certified Platinum in the UK.
Recording history
13 sees the band moving further away from their BritpopBritpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
past into more cerebral and denser musical territory. Some of the songs, however, are evocative of songs from their previous efforts, such as "Bugman", "Coffee & TV", "1992" and "Optigan 1". The album is in the style of a loose concept album, much like other Blur albums, in this case about life and relationships. Much of the album was inspired by Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
's breakup with Elastica singer Justine Frischmann
Justine Frischmann
Justine Elinor Frischmann is an English singer and guitarist, best known for being the lead singer of the now defunct band Elastica...
. Two of the singles, "Tender" and "No Distance Left to Run", describe Albarn's love for Frischmann and his struggle to move on. It is named after the band's recording studio, as well as the number of tracks on the album (bar the hidden tracks). It is also is their first album without longtime producer Stephen Street
Stephen Street
Stephen Street is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths in the 1980s, as well as Blur and The Cranberries in the 1990s. Street also collaborated with Morrissey on some of his most popular work after The Smiths broke up, playing instruments and co-writing songs...
, rather with electronic producer William Orbit
William Orbit
William Orbit is an English musician, composer and record producer, perhaps best known to most for his work on Madonna's album Ray of Light. He has also co-produced several unreleased Madonna songs originally recorded for other albums...
. The cover is a portion of an oil painting by Graham Coxon
Graham Coxon
Graham Leslie Coxon is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter. He came to prominence as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of rock band Blur, and is also a critically acclaimed solo artist, having recorded seven solo albums...
called Apprentice. The album's singles also have cover art by Coxon. The numbers 1 and 3 have been painted so they also form the letter 'B' - presumably for 'Blur'. This was not present on the original Apprentice, nor was the "shine" on the figure's head, which appears on 13. These additions were made long after the original Apprentice, which was painted in 1996. The band's logo doesn't appear anyway on the album aside from a sticker on the cover.
Release and reception
The album was seen by many as a highly experimental work yet the critical response was generally positive. Of the reviews collected from notable publications by popular review aggregator website MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the album holds an overall approval rating of 79%. The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the hit single "Coffee & TV" cemented Blur's reputation as a cult band in the U.S. with its protagonist Milky. The video gained heavy airplay on many modern rock channels in America. 13 was also nominated to the 1999 Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
award and has received accolades from music critics, which ranks it among the greatest albums of the 90s, according to Acclaimed Music. Some of these can be found below.
Many publications have sinced hailed the album as a "lost classic".
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Village Voice | US | Albums of the Year | 1999 | 45 |
| Pitchfork Media Pitchfork Media Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock... |
US | Albums of the Year | 1999 | 10 |
| Top Favorites Records of the 90s | 1999 | 82 | ||
| Metal Hammer Metal Hammer Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music... |
UK | The 200 Greatest Albums of the 90s | 2006 | * |
| Melody Maker Melody Maker Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody... |
UK | Albums of the Year | 1999 | 2 |
| NME | UK | Albums of the Year | 1999 | 19 |
| Q | UK | Albums of the Year | 1999 | * |
| 250 Best Albums Q's Lifetime (1986–2011) | 2011 | 98 | ||
| Mojo Mojo (magazine) MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music... |
UK | Albums of the Year | 1999 | 22 |
| Select | UK | Albums of the Year | 1999 | 11 |
| Rolling Stone Rolling Stone Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J... |
Germany | Albums of the Year | 1999 | 3 |
| Eye Weekly Eye Weekly Eye Weekly was a free weekly newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was owned by Torstar, the parent company of the Toronto Star, and was published by their Star Media Group until its final issue on May 5, 2011. The following week, Torstar launched a successor publication, The Grid.-... |
Canada | Albums of the Year | 1999 | 19 |
Track listing
All lyrics by Albarn (except for track 3 by Coxon, and track 1 by Albarn / Coxon).All music by Albarn / Coxon / James / Rowntree.
- "TenderTender (song)"Tender" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. It is the first track on Blur's sixth album 13 and was also released as the lead single before the album's release...
" – 7:40 - "BugmanBugman (song)"Bugman" is a song by Blur, featured as the second track on their sixth album, 13, released 15 March 1999.The song itself has been noted by critics for it's overdriven "noise" section in the middle of the song. It features the sound of a white-noise believed to be either a power drill or possibly a...
" – 4:47 - "Coffee & TVCoffee & TV"Coffee & TV" is a song by the British alternative rock band Blur. The verses are sung by the band's guitarist, Graham Coxon, who also wrote the lyrics. The music is credited to Damon Albarn, who also sings the chorus. The song appears on the band's sixth studio album, 13, released in 1999; and...
" – 5:58 - "Swamp Song" – 4:36
- "1992" – 5:29
- "B.L.U.R.E.M.I." – 2:52
- "Battle" – 7:43
- "Mellow Song" – 3:56
- "Trailerpark" – 4:26
- "CaramelCaramel (Blur song)"Caramel" is a song by Blur, the tenth track on their 1999 album 13.-Song:"Caramel" was written by Damon Albarn in 1998. Like numerous songs from the album, it is about a relationship and Albarn's struggle to get over the breakup. It is rather experimental, and throughout the song, different short...
" – 7:38 - "Trimm Trabb" – 5:37
- "No Distance Left to RunNo Distance Left to Run"No Distance Left to Run" is a song by Blur. It is on their 1999 album 13 and was also released as the third and final single from the album, reaching #14 in the UK Singles Chart...
" – 3:27 - "Optigan 1" – 2:34
Japanese bonus track
- "I Got Law" (demo version) - This actually became "Tomorrow Comes TodayTomorrow Comes TodayTomorrow Comes Today was the first release by British alternative band Gorillaz, issued as an EP in November 2000. The first three songs from the EP ended up on their debut album, however, 'Latin Simone' was heavily edited, and dubbed into Spanish, for the album release. The new version was sung by...
" the first single by Damon's solo outfit GorillazGorillazGorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
There are five short untitled instrumental hidden tracks on the album. These can be found at the end of "Coffee & TV", "B.L.U.R.E.M.I.", "Battle", "Trailerpark" and "Caramel".
Personnel
- Damon AlbarnDamon AlbarnDamon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
– vocals, piano, keyboards - Graham CoxonGraham CoxonGraham Leslie Coxon is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter. He came to prominence as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of rock band Blur, and is also a critically acclaimed solo artist, having recorded seven solo albums...
– electric and acoustic guitar, vocals, banjo, saxophone, backing vocals - Alex JamesAlex James (musician)Professionally known as Alex James is an English musician, songwriter, journalist and cheesemaker. He is best known as the bass player and occasional vocalist of band Blur...
– bass guitar, backing vocals - Dave RowntreeDave RowntreeDavid Alexander De Horne Rowntree is an English solicitor, musician, animator, and political activist. He is best known as the drummer of the alternative rock band Blur...
– drums, percussion
Production credits
All tracks produced by William Orbit, except "Trailerpark" produced by Blur and "I Got Law" (demo version) produced by Damon Albarn.Singles
- "Tender" (February 22, 1999, UK #2)
- "Coffee & TV" (June 28, 1999, UK #11)
- "No Distance Left to Run" (November 15, 1999, UK #14)